FORUM ON CORE BELIEFS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

We are excited to provide a new opportunity for discussion of the core tenets of the Christian faith for people from all backgrounds. This will be an open forum for walking through questions about Christianity and its relevance for today's world. Each session will begin with a brief discussion of a topic (about 20 minutes) followed by a question and answer time.  We desire for this to be an environment for people who are not Christians or who have doubts, as well as for anyone who wants to learn more about the faith and would like to engage in the topic.

We will meet in the Gateway Sanctuary on the first and third Sundays in October, November, and December (October 3 & 17, November 7 & 21, and December 5 & 19).  We will meet in the sanctuary from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

TOPIC FOR OCTOBER 17 GATHERING

The next meeting will be on Sunday, October 17. It will be discussion-based on core Christian ideas and how they interact in the world today.  Our conversations about Christianity should always take place within a specific context, and 20th century American writer Flannery O’Conner said this about the American South: “I think it is safe to say that while the South is hardly Christ-centered, it is most certainly Christ-haunted.”  We live in what is often called “the Bible belt,” and Christianity is very much a part of many cultural identities we have here.  However, the South has also had a long history of saying and doing very different things when it comes to Christian belief. 

This week, we will discuss what it means to be a Christian in the Christ-haunted South.  In other words, how do we talk about our faith in a culture where belief in Jesus is often assumed but not necessarily practiced?  We want to ask important questions about the difference between authentic and cultural faith and how these lines might be blurred where we live.

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Jeff Moody, one of Gateway's elders, who oversees this time.

We hope you will join us for these Sunday afternoon discussions!